Wow - shiny. I love shiny. Pretty always works - and the controller looks very pretty.
However, I have (for the most part) outgrown the phase where pretty outweighs functional. For example, if my Treo died tomorrow (it's 3 years old) I might get an iPhone. But I won't pay for the iPhone "upgrade" while my Treo still works because while the iPhone is the sexiest hardware I've seen in a while there are several key functions (push IMAP, GPS nav, eReader) that it won't do. So how does this apply to the Duet? Well, I won't be upgrading my setup. I probably won't get the controller because it doesn't really add any functionality. If I had to add music in another room I would have to decide if getting the controller was worth not having the cool VFD display of an SB3. The thing is - I only have 3 rooms. :) I'm never in the office without the computer, so I don't need a DAP in there. Got the SB3 in the bedroom. In the family room I have the HTPC or even the Xbox if I want to stream music. I suppose an SB3 or an SBR would mean I could change tracks without having the TV on but that luxury isn't worth $300 of $400 to me - yet. I get the feeling it's not really marketed at *us*, the SlimDevices faithful. Oh, many of us will buy it because they can think of a use for a headless SB3 (as some are looking at the receiver), but it doesn't have the same appear as an SB3, as I see it. The SD "faithful" are audiophile/hacker types who enjoy coming up with our own solutions for things. This just doesn't have the same feel to me - but that's cool. While I can make my SB3 do some cool stuff, it does come off a bit nerdy. I love it (I'm a sucker for a VFD) - others may not. This device is clearly a shot at Sonos. It's got the same basic parts, priced significantly cheaper - for those complaining about the cost just look at what Sonos is like. Now, also think if you were starting from scratch and needed to do multi-room. At 2 rooms you save $50 (2x SB3 vs Duet + 2nd SBR). Each additional room you save $150. The only problem with this is that most people who have enough rooms to need this usually don't live alone - and only having one controller could be a problem. So if you're just looking at the controller as a cool remote for your SB3 it's not going to make sense. It's a bummer, since I think it looks very pretty. But if someone came to me tomorrow and asked me if I liked Sonos or if they wanted to do multi-room music I'd point them at the Duet without hesitation I love my SB3, I think the world of SlimServer, and so that makes me pretty confident this product is going to be the best in it's market. -- Meatwad650 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Meatwad650's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=9725 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=41813 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
